Lidl 1001 Delights Turkish Apple Style

 

This is an intensely sweet apple tea. Like the other Lidl 1001 Delights, it contains sweetleaf, which is an insanely sweet natural alternative to sugar. 

If they toned down the sweetleaf, I would enjoy this more.  More apple less sugar! 


Date: Dec 2024   Score: 4 

Lidl 1001 Delights Moroccan Mint Style Flavoured Herbal Infusion

 

Attractive box (though it didn't quite open as designed due to perforations not cut deeply enough) and very attractive tea. We like Arabian or Moroccan mint tea. It is generally made with spearmint rather than peppermint, so has a fresher, sweeter taste than peppermint which tends to be more green. This contains 91% spearmint, with some sweet blackberry leaves and sweetleaf (Stevia) - which is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, along with honey granules, so it very bright and sweet, as is often the way with Arabian tea, though with natural ingredients rather than processed sugar. 

The sad thing with Lidl products is that they are often here today- gone tomorrow, so it might well all be gone next time I go to buy some. I'll need to find another source for Moroccan mint tea. We love this.  

Date: Nov 2024   Score: 8 

Sainsbury's Stamford Street Co. Instant Hot Chocolate Drink

 

Cheap as chips instant hot chocolate from Sainsbury's own label budget brand. Surprisingly attractive.  Though not very chocolatey, it's chocolatey enough for a casual milky drink. Not too sweet. We tend to use five heaped spoons, and then add some veggie barista milk. Works well enough. £1.65 for 400g. 

INGREDIENTS: Whey Powder (Cows' Milk), Sugar (37%), Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder* (9%), Glucose Syrup, Coconut Oil, Skimmed Cows' Milk Powder, Flavouring, Thickener: Xanthan Gum; Salt, Stabiliser: Potassium Phosphate.

Date: Oct 2024   Score: 5 

Dogadan Linden and Mint Herbal Infusion

 

Linden is the European name for the Tilia tree - the leaves and flowers are used in some countries in the Balkan region (Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, etc) to make a herbal tea which has folk medicine qualities - reducing inflammation, blood pressure, and stress.  It blends well with the mint, adding  sweetness, soft floral notes, and an earthiness. Though the drink does remain mostly a mint tea. 

We liked this. It's a refreshing and attractive drink both hot and hot, and is restorative and calming. Nice. 



Date: Sept 2024    Score: 7

Dogadan Apple Fruit Infusion

 

Bought from a local Turkish shop. We like apple tea, and find it mostly in Turkish or Polish shops. This contains 60% apple, hibiscus,  cinnamon, rose hip, stevia leaf, and "flavouring". It is an attractive blend, with mild apple flavour, a hint of licorice and cinnamon, the faintest tartness, and a gentle fresh sweetness. It makes for a pleasant and inoffensive drink, though does lack impact and character. 


Date: Sept 2024    Score: 6

Sainsbury's Instant Hot Chocolate

 

Milky hot chocolate. Could do with more chocolate and more oomph and perhaps a twist of character. But easy drinking and reasonably comforting if a little wimpy. 

We just tried it with twice the amount of powder they suggest (ten spoons instead of five) and some oat milk, and it was pleasantly tasty. But, of course, there are other instants which are cheaper and which make better hot chocolate using less powder. 

Date: Sept 2024   Score: 4 

***

Sainsbury's own label

Pukka Lemongrass & Ginger

 

Clean, refreshing, warming. A gentle nip from the ginger. A soft honeyish sweetness in the finish. A pleasant drink, though perhaps a little underwhelming. 

Date: Oct 2023   Score: 5

Pukka teas

Dogadan Camomile & Honey

 

A pleasing soft camomile with gentle honey flavouring. 

It's pleasant, though nothing we'd buy again. The honey is clear and attractive. 



Date: Oct 2023   Score: 5

Morrisons Instant Malted Drink

I put in four heaped spoons, but that doesn't seem to be enough as this is a rather wishy washy malted drink. There's not much flavour or character here. It's like a watery warm milk with some faint malt notes and white sugar sweetness. 

Not great. But drinkable. 


Date: Sept 2023    Score:  3 

 

Pukka Three Cinnamon

 

This is a pleasant tea. Soft, gentle spicy sweet/savoury cinnamon flavour. It's likeable, though not as heavenly as the average Pukka.  It's good with biscuits, or as an accompaniment with curries, and also works well with fish & chips. 

Date: Sept 2023    Score: 6 

Pukka teas

Pukka teas

 

Pukka was formed in 2001 by an entrepreneur looking for an ethical business to invest in and an experienced herbal practitioner who wanted to use his knowledge in making herbal teas. 

Reviews

 

Pukka Lemon, Ginger & Manuka Honey
Date: Oct 2018     Score: 9

  

Pukka Peppermint & Licorice tea
Date: Sept 2015     Score: 6

Clipper Cleanse With Benefits Citrus, Nettle & Fennel

 

We love this, which is as far as I can recall our first experience of the Clipper brand. Cleanse With Benefits is a herb blend - the ingredients are Nettle (46%), fennel seed (40%), birch, natural lemon flavouring (5%), lemon peel (2%), natural lime flavouring (2%); with all ingredients organic, apart from the lime flavouring.  I have to say that while I am absolutely in favour of organic products, I am not in favour of the Organic labelling, as that involves paying an organisation to come and inspect your soil, etc, which in the UK can be several hundreds of pounds for even a small producer. 

This tea is crisp and refreshing, hot or cold, with an upfront bright citric feel which is then enriched with a sweet licorice note from the fennel, along with nips of aniseed. It remains bright even cold the next day in the cup or teapot. A very satisfying and beautiful drink.  Brilliant. £2.50 for 20 bags from Tesco.  Excellent value for money. 


Date: Sept 2023   Score: 10 

Horlicks Chocolate

 

Horlicks is malty goodness. This is Horlicks with chocolate flavouring. Just as nice, but with the twist of chocolate. Very sweet, but so yummy! I'm not sure which I prefer - straight Horlicks or chocolate flavoured Horlicks. I think there's room for both, and it's nice to have a little twist for a change, though on the whole I prefer my Horlicks straight, and my hot chocolate straight. 

This is cool because it's instant. Just add hot water and stir. 

Date: Sept 2023    Score: 8 

Me To You Bear Hugs Hot Chocolate Bear Melt

 

We love these hot chocolate melts. There's a cute chocolate shape - in this case a teddy bear - and you put it in a mug and pour over hot milk. The chocolate slowly melts releasing marshmallows. This was a wonderful hot chocolate drink. Chocolatey, smooth, and with just the right amount of sweetness. It was on sale in Tesco leading up to Mother's Day (Phocea and I bought it for Chrissie for Mother's Day). I've not seen it since, and a search on the internet couldn't find it either. Perhaps it'll come back next year?  We all hope so!

Date: April 2023   Score: 10  

Sonnentor It's all good! Calming Tummy Herbal Tea Blend

Don't know where we got this from (or when), but we've been drinking it a fair bit recently. It's nice. Gently flavoured, though with a bit of chilli burn and a hint of licorice (neither of which are in the ingredients - I wonder if the spice and licorice comes from the calendula?).  It also has notes of dampness, which may come from the yarrow. Overall quite herby and pleasant. A versatile drink. 

More about the Sonnentor company and their products here: Sonnentor.com

Date: Feb 2023   Score: 6 

Tesco Finest Belgian Hot Chocolate Flakes

 

Impressive looking, but when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if the chocolate if solid, flaked or powdered, once dissolved it will taste the same. Over Christmas we all had a chocolate santa with marshmallows which we placed in a cup and poured hot milk over to dissolve. That was great fun. These flakes a little fiddly, and seem more of a gimmick than a practical or improved method of making hot chocolate. I followed instructions and used six teaspoons (generous ones at that, and with the spare flakes shown on the plate, tipped in and stirred, just for good measure), and yet at the end what we have is chocolate flavoured hot milk rather than proper hot chocolate. It's milky and rather sweet. This is  not proper hot chocolate. I won't be buying these again.

Date: Jan 2023    Score: 3 

Green & Blacks' Organic Cocoa

 

This is an organic cocoa, so is likely to come from the Dominican Republic, as they are the leading producers of organic cocoa beans. This is proper cocoa - there's no added sugar. I notice that when a product is called "drinking chocolate" it is generally half cocoa powder and half sugar. When it is "instant hot chocolate" it is a blend of cocoa powder, sugar, dried milk, and chemicals. Cocoa is just cocoa powder (plus an ingredient to stop it from clumping together). We made this as per the instructions, but then found it a little wimpy, and not quite sweet enough. I topped up Chrissie's with instant chocolate, milk, and a bit of sugar. It was lovely. I kept mine as per the instructions. And I'm gradually getting used to it. It's not bitter, and it does have a subtle, silky and delicious chocolate flavour. I think next time I will put in twice the amount of cocoa that is suggested, and see how that goes. 

Date: Nov 2022   Score: 6 

Morrisons Drinking Chocolate

 

Smooth and creamy. Not too sweet. Gentle and pleasant chocolate flavour. Easy drinking and commercial. Could do with more character, but a decent everyday chocolate drink. 


Date: Sept 2022   Score:  5 

Morrisons Hot Chocolate Instant Drink

 

Quite acceptable. Mild chocolate flavour. Not too sweet. Easy drinking. 



Date: Sept 2022   Score: 6 

Cadbury Instant Hot Chocolate

 

We bought this when staying at a Premier Inn near Tower Bridge in London because our supply of Tesco hot chocolate that we had brought with us was running out. It cost £4.00 for 400g from the Co-op opposite the hotel, though would only have cost £2.50 if we'd bought it in our local Tesco.  The Tesco Hot Chocolate cost us £1.60 for 400g. We did a blind taste test of the Tesco and the Cadbury. One of us preferred the Cadbury, one preferred the Tesco, and one couldn't tell the difference. Go figure. 

It makes a nice smooth chocolate drink. It tastes smoother and richer if some milk is used as well (or instead of) the water. That is true of all instant hot chocolates. It tastes more chocolaty if some cocoa powder is mixed in. And best of all is mixing in some cocoa powder and some milk. And save your money and buy Tesco or Lidl hot chocolate and Tesco or Lidl cocoa, blend the powder together and make with part milk and part water. Job done. Go to bed with a smile on your face. 


Date: Jan 2022    Score: 5